News / Gaol Ferry Bridge
Could a temporary crossing be built while Gaol Ferry Bridge is closed?
Confusion continues around Wapping Wharf, with Gaol Ferry Bridge still open despite reports that it was due to close on Monday for at least six months of repairs.
Traders are expecting to take a significant hit while the bridge is closed, with detours sending people either over Redcliffe Bridge one way or Vauxhall Bridge the other.
But could a temporary structure be built that continues to connect Wapping Wharf with Coronation Road?
is needed now More than ever
This is the proposal by artist Luke Jerram, who lives in Southville and regularly uses Gaol Ferry Bridge to cross the New Cut.
He has made a mock-up for a proposal which could see two structures hung either side of the current span while it is being fixed.
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Read more: The gaol ferry that was here before Gaol Ferry Bridge
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“If it proved valuable, it could even stay longer term?” Jerram speculates. “Builders fixing the old bridge might actually find this lower access useful.
“It would be interesting to see what other solutions local engineers, architects, students and schoolchildren might come up with.
“I think if we were living in Japan or China, the current bridge could be fixed efficiently in a month. When Bristol City Council say it will take six months, they really mean two years.
“So we need a solution to help local businesses in Wapping Wharf survive for this duration.”
One idea put forward by New Cut co-owner Jack Hudspith is to give Anneka Rice a call.
Hudspith grew up in Wadebridge in Cornwall, where in 1991 a suspension bridge over the River Camel was built in just four days.
With Challenge Anneka set to return to the screen on Channel 5, could she be set the challenge of building a new bridge in Bristol?
Main image: Luke Jerram
Read more: Bristol needs more bridges
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